Roundhill Investments, the ETFs issuer behind the Roundhill BITKRAFT Esports & Digital Entertainment ETF (NYSEArca: NERD), has filed plans to launch the first ETF dedicated to sports betting.
A recent Roundhill filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) contains details about the Roundhill Sports Betting & iGaming ETF. Assuming that fund comes to market, it will trade under the ticker “BETZ” on the New York Stock Exchange.
BETZ will track the in-house Roundhill Sports Betting Index, which will use a similar methodology to that of the aforementioned NERD.
NERD seeks to track the total return performance of the Roundhill BITKRAFT Esports Index, which tracks the performance of the common stock of exchange-listed companies across the globe that earn revenue from electronic sports, or esports related business activities. Data continue confirming the robust growth expectations associated with esports.
BETZ Details
BETZ will feature what Roundhill defines as core and pure-play companies with sports betting exposure.
Pure play firms are those “whose primary business model and/or growth prospects are directly linked to the Sports Betting and/or iGaming Industry. For these companies, continued growth in the Sports Betting and/or iGaming Industry is expected to be critical to their economic success going forward,” according to the filing.
Core holdings would be those with “substantial operations and/or growth prospects linked to the Sports Betting and/or iGaming Industry.”
At least 20 companies will be included in the index. Some of the holdings are expected to be Flutter Entertainment, PointsBet, and DraftKings when that company goes public later this year.
The idea for BETZ comes at a time of rapid growth in the domestic sports betting industry. With Illinois and Michigan recently having joined the party, 16 states are home to legitimate, operational sports betting and at least five more have legalized it, but haven’t come online yet. Montana is expected to join the fray soon and Colorado is poised to offer sports betting starting May 1.
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The leverage BETZ offers to mobile could be integral in the fund’s success because, by some estimates, 90% of all sports wagers placed in the U.S. by 2030 will be placed online or over smartphones.
The filing doesn’t contain an expense ratio for BETZ.
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